Four Broadway Shows Begin Previews in February

Generally, January and February are pretty quiet for Broadway openings, but this year has several shows beginning previews already. Jason Robert Brown's musical adaptation of The Bridges of Madison County has started previews with Broadway babies Kelli O'Hara and Steven Pasquale in the leading roles (we're already hearing great things), as have John Patrick Shanley's Outside Mullingar (with Will & Grace's Debra Messing making her Broadway debut) and Eric Simonson's Bronx Bombers, a new play about the Yankees. While we wait for the official opening nights, here are a few more notable shows set to begin previews in the coming month, courtesy of Playbill.com...

All the Way

Bryan Cranston is riding high these days with a slew of awards under his belt for Breaking Bad. So, naturally, his next step is to come to Broadway playing former President Lyndon Baines Johnson. This new play by Robert Schenkkan also stars Michael McKean, John McMartin and James Eckhouse. It begins previews on February 10 and the play opens March 6 at the Neil Simon Theatre. 

Rocky
Rocky sings! Yes, Sly Stallone's classic underdog comes to the stage in a new musical with a score by Lynn Ahrens and Stephen Flaherty (of Ragtime fame) and a book by Thomas Meehan (of The Producers fame). Previews begin February 11 and the musical opens March 13 at the Winter Garden Theatre, which previously held long-runners Cats and Mamma Mia!, so this seems poised to stay a while.

Mothers and Sons

Tyne Daly is back on the Great White Way (we missed her!), and she is starring in multiple Tony-winner Terrence McNally's latest play about a mother visiting her late son's ex-partner. (Broadway stalwarts Bobby Steggert and Frederick Weller co-star.) The play begins previews on February 23 and opens on March 24 at the John Golden Theatre. 

Aladdin
Hard to believe it's been more than 20 years since this Disney classic proved how important star power can be to animated movies, but at long last, Broadway will get to see how the movie musical works without Robin Williams' manic energy. James Monroe Iglehart plays the Genie, and Jonathan Freeman, who voiced the villainous Jafar in the film, returns to play the part again. It begins previews on February 26th at the New Amsterdam Theatre (where previous Disney tenants included The Lion King and Mary Poppins) and will open on March 20. 

Coming up later in the spring, Les Miserables returns (again), and Daniel Radcliffe comes back to Broadway in Martin McDonagh's The Cripple of Inishmaan.

Tickets for most of these shows are available at TeleCharge.com.